Special elections are being decided in separate areas of northeast Iowa today (Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017).

In La Porte City, voters are filling the city council seat left empty when David Williams resigned in December. Three candidates are hoping to fill the vacancy: Jasmine Gaston, Stuart Grote and Chad Van Dyke. The winner will complete a term that expires on Jan. 2, 2020.

Polls in La Porte City are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Meanwhile, the future of two neighboring school districts is on the ballot in Fayette County.

Voters are being asked to decide whether the North Fayette and Valley Community districts should formally merge into one. They have been sharing resources and programs under a whole-grade sharing arrangement that begin in the fall of 2013. Each district currently has its own Board of Education, and teachers also have different contracts and policy books.

The North Fayette District is based in West Union and also includes the cities of Fayette and Hawkeye. The Valley Community district is based in Elgin and includes the towns of Clermont and Wadena.

If the vote passes, the merger of the two districts would take effect in July of 2018.

Each district has three polling locations that will be open from noon to 8 p.m. The North Fayette locations are: Fayette County Courthouse Assembly Room in West Union, Hawkeye Public Library and Fayette Community Library. The Valley Community polling sites are: Clermont Fire Hall, Elgin Public Library and Wadena Public Library.

More From 97.7 KCRR